Kid Acero - Kid Acero's Origin

Kid Acero's Origin

Due to the popularity of several local boxing figures in Latin America's sport circuit, and the increasing reject of products considered representatives of the United States' interventionism in the region, Mattel left the marketing decisions to a Mexican licensing company named CIPSA which produced all kind of plastic products, including a large line of plastic containers similar as Tupperware's. This same company also has the local licenses for Hot Wheels and Disney. In 1974 CIPSA decided to change Big Jim's name for Kid Acero (which translates as Kid Steel), and under this name distributed and sell most of the Big Jim toy line.

Most of the toys are exactly the same as in the American market. Only the text on the toy's boxes and the instruction's sheet was changed to Spanish language. Outside the box, there's no way to tell which figures are American and which ones are not, since both were produced in the same factories using the same molds, colors, materials and artwork for the packages. Even Mattel's serial numbers and copyrights were preserved in the molds. This figures were sold mostly across Latin America, but also along the United States South border. Many Big Jim vintage action figures located today in California or Texas may be Kid Acero figures.

The first Kid Acero was the basic Big Jim standard figure from 1974 which came with red shorts and a dumbbell. The initial series of Kid Acero was composed entirely of different versions of Kid Acero in sport, adventure, and jungle outfits, which belongs to the '72 and 73' Big Jim action figures.

The second series introduced a villain named Doctor Drago (known as Dr. Steel in US) as enemy and the exact opposite of Kid Acero. No major changes were done in the toys for a couple of years, and with only few exceptions, the entire line of Big Jim toys were reshipped as Kid Acero's. Among the most notorious exceptions, none other of Big Jim's enemies and friends but Doctor Steel and Double Trouble Zorak were sold in Latin America. Garfio and Nocton were two completely new characters created exclusively for the Mexican market not available anywhere else. Garfio is hard to find even today, especially complete with all his accessories. Two more villains were added later, but as James Bond enemies, not related to Kid Acero's storyline.

The trained Eagle included in the American Karzak figure was also added as Kid Acero's companion. This version of Kid was a complete reissue of Karzak with all its original accessories included, but with a Jim's head instead of Karzak's, and the name was changed to "Karnak". The eagle and its training glove were packaged with other adventure figures of Kid Acero later in the series. Karnak and his eagle were featured in one issue of the "Estrellas del Deporte" comic, helping Kid Acero return from a jungle after his plane crashes.